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Air Quality Management

Clean air is very important for maintaining a high standard quality of life. Air pollution not only affects the quality of air, but also water quality from precipitation and dust settling. This is why it is important to reduce and in some cases, eliminate emissions and activities that can contribute to poorer air quality.

In the United States


The Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970 was the first major air pollution control act. The CAA regulates both mobile sources such as vehicles, and stationary sources such as industrial facilities. The CAA also gives the EPA the authority to determine which pollutants have adverse effects and set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for those pollutants. As a result, the EPA divided the U.S. into 247 air quality regions and set NAAQS for six common (criteria) air pollutants for public health (primary standards) and public welfare protection (secondary standards to protect animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings).

Criteria Air Pollutants include Carbon Monoxide (CO), Lead (Pb), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ground-level Ozone (O3), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), and Particulate Matter (PM). States are required to develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to meet NAAQS. Areas within air quality regions that fail to meet NAAQS are classified as nonattainment areas.

Technology required to meet emissions regulations of criteria pollutants has impacted on-road and non-road engines (including those used on sweepers). Fuel has also been regulated by removing Lead (Pb) from gasoline in 1978 and phasing in Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) from 2006-2010.

TYMCO Sweepers are available with the latest Final Tier 4 (FT4) or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engine technologies to meet US EPA emissions regulations.

South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1186 and 1186.1


As it relates to street sweepers, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California, which covers Orange County, and urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, requires PM10 efficient sweepers to be certified under Rule 1186, adopted in 1997. TYMCO Models 210, 435, 500x, 600, DST-4 and DST-6 are all certified under Rule 1186.

Testing under South Coast AQMD Rule 1186 uses a pass/fail approach to certify a sweeper’s ability to pick up 80% of material consisting of 90% sand and 10% paint filler, spread over 1000 lbs. per curb mile in an open-ended tunnel. About 3% of the test material consisted of particles that were 10 µm or less. The normalized mass of entrained PM10 must be less than or equal to 200 mg/m.

Other air districts have subsequently adopted similar rules such as the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which covers eight counties in California’s Central Valley, requires each city, county, or state agency and their contractors with primary responsibility for paved roads in an urban area to purchase only PM10 efficient sweepers and to sweep their routes at least once per month under Rule 8061, effective July 1, 2005.

SCAQMD Rule 1186.1, adopted in 2000, requires sweepers within the district owned or leased by any federal, state, county, city or governmental department or agency, special district, or private firm who owns or leases 15 or more vehicles to be run on alternative fuel or otherwise less polluting sweepers to reduce toxic and criteria pollutant emissions. When equipped with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engines, TYMCO Models 500x and 600 are compliant with Rule 1186.1.

The TYMCO Model 435® is one of several TYMCO sweepers that are South Coast AQMD Rule 1186 certified

The TYMCO Model 500x® CNG is South Coast AQMD Rule 1186.1 compliant

Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)


Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) validates environmental performance claims – such as reductions in pollutants and emissions – made by manufacturers and suppliers of technologies, processes and products designed to address environmental challenges.

ETV relies on science, high-quality data and recognized protocols to offer an independent assessment and verification of environmental performance claims. As a result, potential buyers and interested parties can make informed decisions about purchasing and using environmental technologies. As it relates to street sweepers, ETV gives these buyers and interested parties an additional metric to add to their decision-making process when procuring a street sweeper. Today, street sweepers are not used solely for aesthetics, but also for improved stormwater runoff quality and air quality. The TYMCO Model DST-6 and Model DST-4 have been ETV verified for PM10 and PM2.5 performance using the City of Toronto PM10 and PM2.5 Street Sweeper Efficiency Test Protocol. The Model DST-6 has also been verified for Operational On-Street Performance using the City of Toronto Operational On-Street Street Test Protocol. These Street Sweeper Efficiency Test Protocols were developed as part of the City of Toronto Clean Roads to Clean Air Program.

In 2016, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created a new international standard – ISO 14034 Environmental Management – Environmental Technology Verification (ETV), making ETV an internationally recognized standard for environmental management.

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